A late addition to this list coming out just a couple of days ago. Clocking in at almost nine minutes it’s the longest Tokyo Police Club song ever by about five minutes, and it packs enough hooks for five songs.

I’m not sure why Janelle isn’t right up there with Beyoncé and Lady Gaga in terms of popularity. She consistently releases pop songs of the highest caliber. Case-and-point: Q.U.E.E.N. That chorus is gold! To top it off Janelle delivers one of the most empowering verses of the year in the last minute of the song. Seriously, this song has it all.

Producer Arca does the heavy lifting for the first minute of this song centering the track around a crackling eerie drum beat which sways back and forth shifting the momentum like a metronome. Then FKA chimes in and completes the mood. I hope they continue to work together because they complement each other perfectly.

This song is the epitome of Yeezus. You have the cheesy disgusting lines a la, “Put my fist in her like a civil rights sign”. You have the dark experimental production- key Kanye West screaming like a demon to describe the female orgasm. And it if that isn’t enough for you; it also includes bridges from Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Assassin (crazy Jamaican guy). What more can a Kanye fan ask for?

Not a big fan of JT but this song is something else. Timberland executes the cheesy production perfectly and the song breaks down masterfully in the second half. Also, it’s a refreshing message to see someone sing about being faithful to their wife, what with all the Robin Thickes of today- not dissing Thicke, I just think variety in pop music subject matter is good.

There are a couple layers to this song. It’s a song about the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It’s a song about growing up. It’s a song with some French in it. Most importantly, it’s just an amazing song. This is Arcade Fire at their best (which is very very good).

Play By Play clocks in at just over five minutes and the intensity increases with every minute. By the time the song comes to a conclusion you’re exhausted just from listening. This song refuses to sit still as it morphs into its triumphantly depressing chorus about an ex who won’t return his calls. Poor guy.

A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, 2 Chainz: and they’re all at the top of their game. It came out in January and has yet to sound tiresome. It’s the perfect party song boasting a sing-along-style chorus and a seemingly endless amount of ridiculous lines. THIS is how you write a posse cut, full out braggadocios without taking yourself too seriously.

This one is impossible to do justice in a write up. It’s a simple song centered around a couple repeated piano notes and Devon Welsh’s tortured voice. Add in some distortion courtesy of producer Mathew Otto and you have a song that continues to raise the hairs on my neck. Welsh’s lyrics are heartbrokenly delivered accepting his immortality by comparing himself to a roach waiting for death in “slimy wet darkness”. As Welsh himself admits, “this won’t end with a smile” and he’s right, this song will bum you out, but I couldn’t imagine any other song on top of this list.